The Titan Tribune
by BradiLain
Summary: After escaping her previous life of growing up in a cult, Terra Mark is ready to make the most of her life. In her university's newspaper, she lives the roller coaster of making new relationships, overcoming her traumas, and hopefully making it to graduation. Teen Titans university life AU. Mature themes warned.
1. Chapter 1

"Terra… You've betrayed us all."

Terra flashed her eyes around in the darkness. She couldn't see where the voice came from. She couldn't see anything. Darkness swirled around her, creeping into her nose and mouth. It filled her lungs. Fear ballooned in her chest. She knew the voice.

"You belong here. You will never fit in outside."

"Shut up." She pressed her hands in tight balls to her temples, trying to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest. Her eyes burned, but she refused to cry. Terra would never give him that power over her again.

"The world outside is cruel."

Every time the voice returned, it echoed from a different area. The words echoed, bouncing around the room, despite the fact that Terra couldn't see any sort of walls around her.

"You're wrong." She hissed, throwing her hands down. She turned to where the voice was last, trying to hold herself with strength and dignity. "I don't need you."

"You will see… You will be back."

The darkness was suffocating. Terra coughed harshly, covering her mouth with her arm. She still peered around the room, trying to find him. She needed to see him. As much as she hated him, the fire of her anger burning in her belly, she couldn't fight the desire. It was so ingrained into her very being. Terra's body yearned to be near him.

"It's just a matter of time."

The blonde snapped out of her sleep, gasping for air. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest, a caged bird flailing to return to the sky. Her pale blue eyes scanned the room. It was empty. The opposite end was still pristine for the new roommate that she was told could be arriving any time this week. Her own side was still a mess, her small blanket kicked to the floor and her suitcase sitting half unpacked.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she twisted the blinds open to reveal the sun shining brightly outside. How long have I been sleeping..? Terra stretched her arms out with a yawn. She didn't particularly feel refreshed. She had stayed up late the previous night to send in her writing samples to hopefully join the Jump City University newspaper.

Her phone sat on the small nightstand beside the bed. Terra plucked it from the table, checking her messages. She has a text from Amber. Her lips formed a smile before she even read the message. Amber McKinney was her closest friend. It was rare to find someone who would give you everything to start a new life, after all.

'Did u make it to JCU?'

Terra pushed her hair out of her face with a small sigh. She had forgotten to text her friend yesterday when she had arrived at the university. There was just so much to do - Terra had met with a counselor to get her finalized class schedule, toured the campus, and figured out what room she had been assigned.

She texted back quickly. 'Yes. sorry i got so busy.'

The blue eyed girl knew she should've remembered to text her friend regardless. It was the first time they had been apart for two years; Amber and Terra were practically inseparable. The two met online - something that Terra had managed to secretly gain access to, despite Father's strong wishes that she stay off of it. Terra had only been fifteen, but her whole world truly turned upside down with this new friendship. Everything she knew had been so blatantly wrong. Everything she had been told lies… The Father had insisted that she was just going through a rebellious phase, and simply kept her under a closer lock and key. It took Terra years to relearn the world, through a small gaggle of online friends that she could only really talk to a couple times a week with the strictness that her family had established.

The buzzing of her phone in her hands caught Terra's attention once more, tearing her away from her thoughts. She really needed to let the memories go, not dwell on them.

'Met the roommate yet?'

'Nope'

'Maybe tomorrow'

'How is momma doing? She miss me yet?'

Terra smiled at the thought of Mrs. McKinney. The woman had practically adopted her into the family without any second thought. She even paid for all of the counseling that Terra had needed. It felt nice to have a mother.

'She misses u so much sister. And i miss not covering your tables. Dinner rush 2nite sucked'

The blonde laughed at her phone, leaning against the wall from her bed. Amber had always hated working at her mother's cafe, but Terra loved the little family owned hole in the wall. Waitressing had always been easy for her. It was always fun meeting new people everyday,, especially since she had grown up only knowing such a small few…

Terra mentally scolded herself once more. It was hard to let her past go. She had been trying for years, yet her nightmares continued to haunt her. Her therapist back home - well, the home she actually felt at home with - had told her that the nightmares would ease off with time. But his voice was always there. Always taunting her. The familiarity of what she had grown up with almost made her want to go back.

But Terra knew she could never go back. Not after what she had done.

She shook the thoughts from her head once more, tapping the letters on her phone quickly.

'I hope i can find a job half as good here.'

Terra had worked her ass off to get this full ride to one of the best universities in the state - Jump City University. She still wanted to be able to do things around the town though. Buy herself some new clothes. Or something to decorate her dorm room with, she thought with a frown. The only things she had packed in the box sitting in the corner of the room were her laptop, an old desk lamp, and a picture frame with a collage that Amber had gifted Terra as a going away gift. Most of her labor at the McKinney's cafe was as a payment for letting her stay in their home. Terra had refused to accept an hourly wage, simply scrapping together her tips to pay for things as she needed. She sent another text to her friend.

'Nothing will be as good as you guys tho'

Terra set the phone back on the nightstand and turned her attention to a pile of clothes from her suitcase to start filling the drawers on her half of the room. The clothes weren't exactly stylish, but they were clothes that she had picked herself. Unlike the clothes she was provided in her birth town.

Terra gave herself another mental slap on the wrist. Half of the reason she was even here was to forget about her past… Forget about the Family and the Father and the horrors she had grown up was her fresh start. Nobody knew Terra Mark here. She could be whoever she wanted to be. This time, she was even doing it all by herself, not depending on a generous family to provide for the hopelessly lost runaway that she was.

Her attention was drawn away from her thoughts by a quick rap on the door. Terra eyed the door, confused for a moment. "Who is it?"

The door opened to reveal a girl with bright red hair, loosely braided and falling down almost to her butt. She wore a pair of black leggings, and a baggy t-shirt, with a big smile on her face, "Hello there! You must be Terra."

Terra set the clothes down in the drawer neatly, and held out a hand. She had to look up to meet the eyes of the girl - eyes that were so green that Terra thought they must be fake. This girl was tall. Terra had always thought of herself as pretty tall, standing at a solid 5'8". This girl had to be at least six foot tall. "Yeah that's me." Instead of taking her hand, the behemoth of a woman pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh it's so wonderful to make acquaintance with you!" She said gleefully, releasing Terra from the hug. Terra laughed sheepishly, rubbing her arms. "I am called Koriander Tamaran - but you can call me the nickname of Kori."

"You must be my roommate?" Terra asked cautiously. The redhead nodded energetically. Terra forced the smile to stay on her face, despite her confusion. Terra didn't want to come off as rude, but the way this girl talked was seriously throwing her for a loop. It was the weirdest thing she had ever heard, yet she couldn't quite pinpoint an accent of any sort. Then again, Terra was sure that we she first escaped the cult she had been raised in that she probably seemed just as odd. "Right on. Nice to meet you, Kori. Where are you from?"

"My family did partake in the traveling frequently. My birth was in Thailand, but I have occupied almost every place, it feels." The girl pulled her suitcase closer to her and nodded her head to the empty bed on the other side of the room. "Is this the side I shall reside in?"

"Yeah, knock yourself out." Terra turned back to her suitcase. She'd have to get used to this roommate, but it was a million steps up from the family she had grown up with.

"Perhaps I will do the knocking another time, since I am already in the room, no?" Kori asked.

"What..?" Terra glanced back at Kori, who was opening her suitcase and starting to make her bed. The way Kori spoke was definitely going to take some getting used to. Terra shook her head, "Nevermind… What're you majoring in?"

Kori continued to make her bed, "I am in linguistics studies."

That's ironic… Terra thought to herself sarcastically. She scolded herself almost instantly. English might not even be her first language. There was no need for her to be judgmental. "Rad; I'm majoring in journalism with a minor in photography. I want to be a reporter."

"You want to be on the network of television?" Kori glanced over excitedly. "How thrilling!"

Terra nodded. She had never been very good with small talk. Or talking in general. People were not her strong suit. Perhaps it was her issues with trust, maybe her habit of internalizing her feelings until they were unbearable. Either way, she didn't want to let anyone in that wasn't 100% necessary and Kori had yet to earn that trust.

With the few sets of clothes she owned unpacked, Terra moved to the box she had sitting on the floor of living essentials. She looked at her own sheets - which were white and bland compared the Kori's brightly colored purple ones. After she found a place to work, Terra would have to find herself a new bed set, she told herself.

"I have more things to bring from my motor vehicle. I will be gone for just a moment of time!" Kori smiled brightly before heading out the door to get the rest of her things. Terra considered offering an extra hand, but by the time she opened her mouth, the girl was already gone. The young woman hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until she let it go in a gentle sigh.

"It could be worse." she reasoned with herself, reaching into the box to pull out her pillowcase. "At least she seems nice."

Terra quickly remade her bed - setting the pillow back at the head and pulling up her thick woolly blanket back on top. The blanket had been a birthday gift from Amber, despite the fact that Terra really had no idea of the actual date of her birth. In her birth town, children were raised very differently than people outside of it. Children were heavily planned. Women would only be allowed to partake in intercourse at all during a single month of the year, so that children would be born all at the same time. It helped the Father make sure that schooling stayed simple. Not only that, but each mother gave up every right to their child at birth. Only women that were specifically assigned to be Den Mothers could raise the children. It was their only job. Terra didn't do the best with children, so she remembered being super frightened when she turned 16 that her assignment would end up being Den Mother…

Terra and Amber had picked out a day after extensive research of astrology and horoscopes. Personally, Terra thought the idea of fate and astrology and things were a bunch of bullshit, but it was something Amber always enjoyed. Apparently she was an Aquarius. Terra picked up the picture frame from her suitcase gingerly, her eyes tracing the memories fondly. She set it on the nightstand. The last thing in the suitcase was her camera.

It was her biggest purchase of her entire life. Some people might not think it's reasonable to spend such a large sum of money on something so frivolous, but a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Terra had decided very quickly in life that journalism was something she wanted to pursue. She wanted to uncover the truth and bring light to injustice in the world.

She lifted the camera, looping the strap around her neck. Terra was tired of sitting in the empty half of her room and thinking too much. With that thought in mind, Terra grabbed her phone, slid her backpack onto her shoulder and headed out.

She offered a smile to Kori in the parking lot, who waved excitedly at the blonde as soon as she opened the door. Not wanting to get stuck in a conversation, Terra hurried down the stairs and followed a path towards the Wolfman Arts Building.

It was a large, boringly square building; which struck Terra as odd, considering that it was the building that housed all of the art classes. It was full of windows, likely so the artists could get the best and most natural lighting possible. Terra pulled her camera up and took a shot of one of the open windows, where a ceramic piece sat, presumably so the paint on it could dry. She checked the screen to make sure she was using a good shutter speed, and continued down the path.

It didn't take long for her to reach the Student Center, which was busier than she thought it would be. Students filled the campus bookstore, making Terra glad she had got her books paid for by the school and sent to her for free. The smell of pizza wafted through the building. Terra followed her nose to the cafeteria. Her belly grumbled.

She tried to look nonchalant, but the emptiness of her pockets dragged her mood down. All of her money had gone to transportation and school supplies, so she really didn't have the cash to spare at the cafeteria. She would be provided a school ID when classes officially started that she could use as a form of payment, since her scholarship included food at the school buffet three times a day.

The pizza shop that filled her senses, however, was independently owned - as were a couple of the little built in business in the student center. If she wanted pizza, she'd have to scrape that cost herself.

Making a mental note to find a cafe nearby that she could work part time for extra expenses, she continued through the student center. Finding nothing else of interest, she made her exit.

The other end of the student center opened up to a square. Bricks in the bottom had names engraved of people she had never heard of, and the centerpiece of the outdoor area was a large sculpture. It was abstract, but resembled two people like figures that were doing some sort of dance. She stopped walking and held up her camera to snap a picture of it.

Terra checked her photo out, smiling at the shot she had got. The sky was bright and blue, making the dark metal stand out. The campus was beautiful. She was excited to see what secrets that she could find within it and expose. What injustices she could help bring light to. This was a whole new chance to rewrite her story.

As she was peering at the picture on the camera, Terra didn't even notice the Frisbee that was flying towards her. Or the large dog that was following, tongue lolling in excitement. The Frisbee her her first, but the dog barreling into her was the thing that really knocked her over. She let out a small shout of surprise, trying desperately to hold her camera above her as she ate the concrete below.

"Oh, geez, dude! I'm so sorry. I didn't even see you there."

Terra didn't even look up at the boy speaking to her, instead inspecting her beloved camera. It was still intact - luckily she managed to take most of the fall. She could feel her elbow burning, so she checked it out, trying to sound nonchalant, "No biggie, man. It was an accident."

Finally deciding that her camera was in fact unscathed, she turned her attention to the boy. His skin was tanned, with a light dusting of freckles across his cheeks. His eyes were a dark foresty green, sparkling with concern as he eyed her, and his hair was dyed sloppily a similar dark green color, only the roots betraying the auburn color underneath. The dog sat obediently at his side, wagging its long tail and looking at her with what Terra could've sworn was a smile.

"Bad girl, B." He scolded the dog, but the harshness wasn't there at all. He almost couldn't stop smiling at the big thing. He laughed sheepishly at the fluffy golden retriever. "She's a good girl, really. But she gets kinda… kinda cray about her Frisbee."

"So I see." Terra laughed good naturedly, "You said her name is B? Can I pet her?"

Just at hearing the word pet, the dog's tail started to swish eagerly. "Of course! B loves people." He answered. Terra reached her hand out cautiously at first, but the golden licked her hand before making herself comfortable right in Terra's lap. The blonde girl laughed as the dog nuzzled into her face, licking her face. She wrapped her arms around the dog's neck, only further exciting the pup. The fur was soft and glossy.

"I've never had a dog before…" Terra mumbled as she petted, almost talking more to herself than to anyone else. Pets were strictly against the rules at her original home, and Amber's brother was allergic, so interacting with pets wasn't something she frequently got to do. The green haired boy gasped dramatically at the statement.

"Never? That should be illegal. Dogs are the best!" He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle. "At least when they're not knocking over pretty strangers."

Terra was almost speechless, the breath taken from her momentarily. Boys were always so off limits where she was raised, and when she moved in with Amber she did all of her schooling online to get a GED since she was too old to actually enroll in a high school. She had no idea how to act. Terra tried to make her mouth form words, her ears heating up slightly. "She was just trying to get her toy."

He squatted down to offer her a hand with a laugh. "Yeah, you're right, I should've been paying more attention. Sorry dude."

Terra took his outstretched hand. He heaved her up with a surprising amount of force for his slim build, Terra teetering on her feet slightly and pulling her camera closely to her chest. "No problem, man, Really."

They stood together, Terra feeling her cheeks start to heat up as the boy looked at her. The blonde couldn't help herself but meet the boy's gaze, his eyes bright and friendly.

"I feel like I should make it up to you or something. Maybe I could, you know, but you some lunch."

Terra blinked a couple times before letting her lips turn into a smile. Was she being flirted with? Is this how these things happen? Her gaze turned to her feet, her blonde hair falling in front of her face, almost as if it would shield her burning cheeks from the boy. "I could probably find some time before classes start."

Her hand was still in his. She peeked at him from around her hair. The dog barked, causing her to jump in surprise, pulling her hand away. The boy laughed again, patting the dog's head with one hand and pulling his phone out from his back pocket.. "My name's Logan. Logan Garfield. Can I have your number? We can set up a time — have you tried the bakery downtown? They've got really good donuts."

She took the phone in her hands and typed her number into the phone as she spoke. "I'm Terra Mark. I'm new to town, so I haven't been much of anywhere."

"I actually grew up here, so I know all the best places in town." He puffed out his chest proudly, Terra giggling at him before handing the phone back. "I'll text you!"

"Right on." Terra nodded at him. He gave her a wave before heading off. B looked at her for a second before giving the blonde a lick and following her master. Terra watched him as he left, unable to keep the smile from her face. Maybe college wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

_**A/N Thanks for reading! Hopefully you guys like the new interpretation of some of our beloved Titan characters! Update: This chapter was rewritten as of 7 November, because I really wasn't happy with it.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Dear Ready to Rock,_

_Classes are about to start, and I'm super worried. A lot of my friends are wanting to go out and do things, but my bank account is screaming at me to stay in more. My family thinks I should get a job, but I'm worried that I won't have time to give my studies the time they need with even a part time job. How do you recommend I respond? Should my social life suffer instead of my bank account?_

_Sincerely, Dollar Signs Aren't on Report Cards_

* * *

"Hi, my name's Terra - is the hiring manager in?"

The young man nodded at her, "Yeah, let me go find her."

Terra hoped that she looked decently presentable. She was wearing the nicest clothes that she owned - a pair of black slacks and a chunky cable knit sweater. The young blonde had been perusing the streets of Jump City nonchalantly when she found herself in a small mom and pop's style cafe. It was right up her alley. The sign on the small cafe had a huge sign advertising open interviews, so she ran home to put something nice on and try her luck.

The woman that came out from behind a small swinging door was short and plump. She had a huge smile on her face and immediately reached out her hand to Terra when she saw her.

"Hello darlin'! Are you the one looking for a job?" Terra took the lady's hand and shook it firmly, mirroring the friendly smile.

"Yes, I'm Terra Mark. I just moved to town recently - I'm enrolled at JCU." She swung her backpack around to her chest to dig in it, "I have a resume, I just didn't know where to print it off…"

"Don't worry about it! I prefer to get to know people face to face instead of on paper." She gestured to an empty booth. The two seated themselves. "I'm Kristina Beecher, but everyone around here calls me Momma Bee. What kind of job are you looking for?"

"Well, I've really only done waitressing," Terra admitted, sliding her backpack off of her shoulders. "I'm really open to anything though. I like to learn."

Momma Bee laughed, a thick wholesome laugh that made Terra feel like she was right at home already. "Well, I sure could use a waitress - I could use anything. A lot of my kids are part timers now that the school year is starting up again. You said you're going to university here in town?"

Terra nodded. "Yes, I'll be a freshman. I'm taking a lot of credit hours, but my classes are in the mornings so I'll have most of my evenings free."

"The dinner rush is usually our busiest time." Momma Bee agreed. "You've waitressed before?"

"Yeah, I used to work at a cafe that my mom's-" Terra faltered for a moment. It wasn't her birth mother, but Mrs McKinney had been the closest thing to a mother she ever had. How did she explain her life story? That it was her friend's mother's cafe wouldn't be that weird of an occurrence, but it felt wrong not to refer to the McKinneys as her family. They were in everything but blood. Terra faked a cough into her elbow and smiled apologetically "Excuse me, had a throat tickle. My mother owned a local cafe. I waitressed there."

"Oh how good! Local businesses are always the best kind. My little restaurant has been in our family for more than fifty years now." The woman smiled to herself, looking off into the distance fondly. "My grandmomma worked her hiney off to get this place up and running."

"That's rad." Terra said, "I gotta agree with that. My mom's cafe was the best place in town." It was no lie - every weekend the cafe would be packed with people. It was almost a town tradition to eat there and support the town. Terra had eaten there more times than she could count. She could personally attest for every item on the menu, which really only made her a better waitress.

The two spoke for about another hour, sharing information and stories before being approached by a girl similarly aged to Terra. Her curly hair was tied up in a giant bun, tied up with a small yellow ribbon that matched her brightly colored apron. Momma Bee smiled widely at the girl, "Terra, meet my daughter Karen. Karen, meet your newest trainee - I think I found our new waitress!"

Karen smiled warmly, her teeth a stark white against the stunning red that colored her lips, and held out a hand, "Nice to meet you! It'll be nice to have an extra hand - As long as you catch on fast."

"Karen! Don't scare away our new employee again." The mother scolded. Karen laughed.

"I'm just teasing!" Her grip was firm when Terra took the hand and shook it. "I gotta get over there - table three is being kind of impatient."

"Of course dear." Momma Bee waved her daughter off. "Anyway, Terra, I'll have you fill out some info for me, then when you bring it back I can get your two forms of ID and get you scheduled! How does that sound?"

"Sounds good!" Terra replied. Momma Bee brought her over a paper, then returned back to the area that Terra assumed was the kitchen. The blue eyed girl folded the paper and slipped it into her backpack before hiking the dark colored bag over her shoulder once more. She hadn't thought that the interview would go so well - perhap that's one of the perks of a little family owned business.

The bells on the door chimed with her exit, and Terra took a deep breath of the air outside. The day was sunny and beautiful; California was so much different than where she had grown up. It was bright, full of hope. She felt her phone buzz in one of the pockets of her backpack and pulled it out excitedly.

Her excitement quickly depleted when she realized the message wasn't who she thought it was from. She had been texting the boy she had met a few days before, Logan, sporadically, being incredibly busy with getting all of her things ready for classes starting next week. Her eyes scanned the text quickly.

'Hey Terra, this is Rich from the Tribune. We're having a meeting this evening 5:30 at the student center. Please be there.'

Well, it wasn't what she was expecting but at least it was something to look forward to. She hadn't met any of the other students that would be working on the paper with her yet, and those were probably going to be the people she would be spending the most time with. Surely she could make some friends there.

Terra made her way back to her dorm, not surprised to see that her roommate was gone. Kori had spent very little time in the room, always out doing things. A pang of jealousy ran through her chest, but she tried to ignore it. Kori wasn't even her friend, really. Of course she would be out hanging with other people. It was dumb to think that Kori would want to drop any previous friendships to hang with her instead.

Heaving a small sigh, she pulled out her laptop and opened up Netflix. She had a few hours to kill before that meeting, so maybe a little bit of mindless tv could distract her. Terra clicked a random show from the recommended feed, plopped on her bed, and let her mind wander, the sappy romcom playing in the background.

* * *

"Heya!" Terra offered her hand out, tilting her head with a bright smile. "My name's Terra - I was told we were having a meeting? Are you Richard?"

The man returned the smile, accepting the shake with a similarly strong grip. "Well, nice to meet you Terra! And yes, that'd be me. Call me Rich, though. Never been fond of Richard - it's too formal for my tastes."

Rich stepped aside, welcoming Terra into the small room. There were a couple computers at desks in one corner, along with a giant whiteboard with notes scribbled across. It was immediately recognizable as a mock newspaper spread, boxes colored in with a couple different signatures for who got which spot.

"Wow…" Terra breathed, taking in the entire set up in awe. Rich laughed. His dark hair was slicked up stylishly, gleaming in the harsh lights of the studio.

"This is our modest abode. Glad you like it." His good natured smile eased the tension between Terra's shoulders, "Make yourself at home! I'll introduce you."

Rich led the blonde to a small couch, where two other guys sat. The first one had his laptop sitting on his toned legs, with one folded over the other in a makeshift desk. His bright orange hair was a stark contrast to his pale skin. The second man was slim, with dark hair that was about shoulder length. He flashed a smile that brought heat to Terra's cheeks. "This is Wallace West and Garth Wheaten," Rich gestured to the first man and then to the second, "Wally writes most of our sports articles and Garth is my second in command. Guys, this is our new freshman writer, Terra Mark."

"It's wonderful to meet you. I look forward to working with you." Garth said, a slight nod of his head.

"Heard we were doing introductions." Another man, surprisingly enough also a redhead, sauntered over, holding out a hand. "My name's Roy. Terra, was it?"

"Yup! That's me." She replied, shaking his hand.

He chuckled, "Quite a grip you got there, eh?"

"Oh, sorry." Terra clamped her hands together with an apologetic smile.

"No problem! Just an observation. I write the student spotlight section," Roy folded his arms across his chest, which was broad. Terra wondered absentmindedly if she'd be able to remember all of the names being introduced, trying to match features with the people in her head. Roy turned to the last two people in the room, the only other girls. "Hey, Bette, want to come introduce yourself?"

The blonde flicked her frizzy blonde hair over her shoulder with a smirk, "Nice to see some new blood around here. I'm Mary Elizabeth - but everyone calls me Bette." Bette tapped the shoulder of the girl beside her, who had long, luscious black hair that fell to her mid waist, "And this is Mirage. We do recaps on current events."

"Have any of you guys seen Rachel?" Rich scratched the back of his head, looking around the room. There weren't any extra people to introduce.

"She's meditating," Mirage answered, her voice smooth velvet. "So we figured we'd leave her be."

"That's probably for the best. Don't worry, you'll meet her later." Rich held out his arms, "Well, that's everybody! We aren't exactly a huge team, but we manage pretty well. I figured we'd have you start off with opinion pieces for the most part - I also saved the section for the fan interactions for you, so start brainstorming on what you want to do with that."

"Okay!" Terra balled her hands into animed fists, "I can do that."

"Now, let's sit down and get to talking. We've got a lot to do before we publish next week!"

* * *

"Hey, what do you think about this?" Terra flung her arms out to show off her shirt. It was a form fitting black cropped T-shirt. She didn't really know much about cute clothes, her wardrobe being fairly bland. If a black crop top was an exciting addition to her wardrobe, she knew that it wasn't a great sign.

"It is glorious! A wonderful display of the fashion expertise." Kori clapped her hands together gleefully. She was too happy - of course she'd say something nice about even a boring T. "What would be the occasion for the dressing up?"

"I, um…" Terra turned her eyes down to the ground, feeling suddenly shy, "I have a date."

She had finally received the text asking her out shortly after the meeting with her fellow journalists. Honestly, it wasn't as exciting as she had made it out to be. It was just breakfast before class - apparently there was a really good donut shop not too far from the university campus.

"A date?!" The redhead gasped in delight, "You are going to make an odyssey of devotion to a man of your dreams?"

Terra snorted, "That's a little strong, don't you think? We're just getting coffee."

"You may find that the endeavor of the attraction will suck you in." She warned. Her face grew more somber, "I am afraid that I am not precisely a connoisseur of the dating."

"Really? You're a pretty girl, I bet guys would be falling over themselves to date you."

She sighed, "I think that I scare the male population away."

"Why do you think that?" Terra sat beside her roommate on the bed.

Kori, who was sitting criss cross on the bed, frowned, "Perhaps it is my tall stature that frightens them."

Terra couldn't help but laugh. "Lots of guys like tall girls!"

"Do not be the wart of the worry." Koriander perked up, "I will simply enjoy vicariously through your date. What is his name?"

"Logan."

"Ooooooooh, joy! I love him already." She squealed, pulling Terra into a hug. Terra shook her head with a smile, despite the fact that she could barely breathe.

"You're such a dork."

"Is that something unpleasant?"

"No, it's a good thing."

Kori released Terra from the hug, grinning broadly. "I am glad we are participating in the friendship. However, I must slumber now, so I will converse with you another time."

Terra headed back over to her own bed, wiggling out of the shirt and pulling an oversized one more fitting for sleeping. The smile stayed on her lps, stuck like glue, as she drifted off to sleep. Her first college friend. Her first date. Her first club meeting.

For once in her life, everything was really looking up.

* * *

_Dear Dollar Signs Aren't on Report Cards,_

_Adult life truly is a balancing act. Everything comes down to prioritizing the things that are most important to you. School should always be at the top of your list. Ease into everything. If you're taking a reasonable amount of credit hours, then a part time job shouldn't be a problem. Take a day out of the week to allocate your social outings - maybe friday nights can be the time spent with friends. Then you can make sure to mark your availability as such. Creating a schedule for your days also will help immensely. Every Sunday night, take the time to mark down what you need to do for the week and update it as your classes give you new assignments. Consistency and planning is key._

_Also, you don't need to spend money to have a good time with your friends! Head to the library, play a board game, borrow mom's netflix password for a movie night. There are lots of ways to make sure your social life is fulfilling that doesn't require breaking the bank. Just be honest with your friends; tell them that you can't really do dinners every week or expensive outings. Real friends will be by your side whether you're making ramen and watching YouTube or going to a steak dinner._

_Love, Ready to Rock_

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**A/N: Not the most exciting chapter, I know, but I hope you guys liked! Slowly building the world, introducing the characters that we know and love. How many of them did you recognize? Hopefully the interpretations of them as modern day young adults will be interesting for y'all to enjoy. Don't forget to leave me a review if you liked this chapter or if you have any constructive criticism for me! Next chapter we'll start off with a little bit of fluff with our favorite animal morphing boy.**


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